GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The Grand Rapids Griffins say that the actions of a few fans at its Friday night game against the Cleveland Monsters cost the team the chance at victory.
In a post on Facebook, the team’s management said that the fans “had purchased foam pucks as part of our long-running throw for dough charitable fundraiser but chose to throw them onto the ice after our game-tying goal, resulting in a delay-of-game penalty to Grand Rapids.”
The Monsters scored on the power play in overtime, costing the Griffins a second point and a three-game winning streak on home ice, the team said.
“We’re proud of our team’s resilient effort and the support of our loyal fans, we can’t say the same about these nine individuals — out of a crowd of nearly 6,000 — who caused this unprecedented situation,” the post continued.
Several of the individuals were immediately ejected from the arena. Management said that each of the individuals has since been identified and will be addressed.
The organization says it is “actively looking at all possible changes for this promotion to ensure that this activity does not happen at a future game.”
